Portable crane

ABSTRACT

A portable crane for lifting and positioning modular house sections from a trailer truck onto a foundation is provided with a pivotal post member which folds down onto a base and wherein the crane jib pivots and folds against the post member so that the crane is reduced in size for transport. The lower end of the post member, when in a vertical position for lifting, includes side support pads with elongated slots to allow transverse adjustment of the house section during positioning thereof onto a foundation.

[451 Oct. 24, 1972 United States Patent Corley Barre,Jr.;..................2l4/1 D [54] PORTABLE CRANE [72] Inventor: Gale C.Corley, 1207 Beech Street,

Valparaiso, Ind. 46383 v March 4, 1971 Primary Examiner-Gerald M.Forlenza Assistant Examiner-i-George F. Abraham Attorney-Mueller &Aichele [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A portable crane for lifting and positioning modular housesections from a trailer truck onto a foundation 21 Appl. No.: 120,872

[52] US. Cl..........................2l4/l H, 212/8, 212/46, 212/65,214/130R is provided with a pivotal post member which folds down onto abase and wherein the crane jib pivots and folds against the post memberso that the crane is [51] Int. 23/40 [58] Field of Search.....2l4/1 H, lD, l P, 1 PA, 130; 254/2 R, 3, 8 R; 212/8, 9,11,17, 65

reduced in vsize for transport. The lower end of the post member, whenin a vertical position for lifting, includes side support pads withelongated slots to allow References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTStransverse adjustment of the house section during positioning thereofonto a foundation.

Turturro et a1.

9/1966 Meyer........................254/8 R 6 Claims, 12 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDnm24 I912 3.700.117

sum 1 OF 5 FIG! INV TOR. .1 GALE c. go Y mwrdw ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEU 2 3,700.1 17

saw 2 or 5 INVENTOR GALE C. CORLEY BY 6M ATTORNEYS PATENTED OCT 24 I9733,700.1 1 7 SHEETS 0f 5 s3 72 n FIG?) 'IIII l8 Y 2Q l3 HF I v as I In u87 h b 300 85b 89 INVENTOR v GALE C.CORLEY 42 MFMIL ATTORNEYS PmmmucmI912 3.700.111

' SHEEI a 0F 5 FIGS? YINVENTOR.

GALE C. CORLEY ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDum 24 I972 saw 5 or 5 FIGII gag INVENTOR GALE c. CORLEY BY M c)M ATTORNEYS 1 PORTABLE CRANE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates generally to cranes, and more particularly to portable cranes tobe transported from site to site. Specifically, the invention isdirected to a portable crane for lifting and positioning a modular housesection during construction of such homes.

Modular house construction has gained considerable popularity in recentyears primarily because of the relative cost involved in constructinghouses of this type. A house section, referred to as a modular section,is completely fabricated in a factory and then transported by trailertruck to the house site. Once at the house site, the modular section, byone method or another, must be lifted off the trailer truck andpositioned on the house foundation which has been previously prepared.Heretofore the operation of removing the modular section from the trucktrailer onto the house foundation was a tremendous task either in theterms of the expensive equipment required or the great number of manhours involved. For example, one method of removing the modular sectionfrom the trailer truck was to incorporate a large expensive crane whichwould hoist the house from the trailer and place it in position on thefoundation. This required the use of the crane, which may have beenrented at high cost, plus the expense of a skilled crane operator whohad to be kept at the building site but whose skills were required onlyperiodically. This tremendous expense of equipment and manpower, if notcontrolled carefully would ultimately absorb all the savings achieved bythe modular construction technique of such homes thereby eliminating anyeconomic advantage of using such construction.

Another method of removing the modular section I SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide aportable crane which can be used to lift and position modular housesections quickly and simply in a matter of minutes with the use of onlytwo men.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable crane which iscollapsible for high speed transport on public highways.

By high speed transport it is meant that the portable crane of thisinvention can be towed by a truck at the legal speed specified for suchequipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspectiveview illustrating a portable crane for positioning a house section inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable crane of FIG. 1 showing thepositioning of a modular house section onto a foundation;

FIG. 3 is the rear view of the portable crane of this invention;

FIG. 4 is the front view'of the portable crane of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged frontal view of a support pad which extends fromthe lower end of the crane post;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the portable crane of this invention in acollapsed transportable condition and connected to a pick-up truck forhigh speed transport;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the crane of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 9-9 ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a collapsible support carriage used tosupport" the modular house section from the crane during positioningthereof; I

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partially sectional view of the end section ofthe jib of the crane of this invention; and

FIG. 12 is an end sectional view taken along line l2-12 ofFIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED I EMBODIMENT Referring now tothe drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable crane.is designated generally by reference numeral 10. The crane 10 includesa base 12 to which are connected wheels 13 for transporting the cranefrom site to site for the erection of modular house sections. The crane10 is readily folded down to a compact and stream-lined condition, asbest seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. A tow bar 14 extends from the base 12 and issecured to a prime mover, such as a truck or the like, for high speedtransport over public highways. Once on the site, the crane 10 isexpanded to a working position and fastened to a bulldozer or tractor 26for a counter balance, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A fabricated post member 16 is pivotally secured to the base 12 by pivotpins 17. The post member 16 swings to an upward position as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and has the upper free end thereof pivotally receiving ajib member 18 secured thereto by a pivot pin 19. The jib member 18 ispivotal about the pin 19 and serves as a hoist when necessary. However,a hydraulic hoist 20 may depend from the outer end of the jib l8 and maybe used to control the raising and lowering of a load. The crane 10 isfastened to a bulldozer or heavy tractor 26 which may weigh in the orderto 8,000 to 10,000 pounds and which serves as a counter balance. Thisallows the portable crane itself to be relatively light weight and easyto transport from site to site. The tractor is equipped with a winch 27which has a cable 28 secured to the rearward extended portion of the jib18. When the crane 10 is used to lift and position modular housesections, a truss or carriage 21 is fastened to the hoist 20 so that aplurality of cables 22 can receive and support the weight of a modularhouse section here designated generally by reference numeral 23.

In general, the modular house section 23 is transported by trailer truckfrom the factory and is so delivered to the site of construction. Thecomplete removal of the modular house section from the trailer andpositioning of the house section onto the foundation 24 is accomplishedreadily with the use of two workman, one operating the tractor 26 andthe other aligning the modular house section before it is lowered ontothe foundation. After the modular section is lifted from the deliverytrailer, the trailer is then moved out from under the house section 23and the tractor 26 then guides the crane so that the modular housesection islocated over the foundation 24. Once in the general location,minor adjustments can be made with respect to the position of thesection relative to the foundation by simply pushing or pulling on oneside or the other of the house section by a single workman. The ease oflateral and transverse movement is accomplished by the fact that thesection is suspended by a single book or pivot point 29 at the carriage21. Also, laterally movable support pads 30, which extend from the crane10, are secured to the modular house section 22 to allow ease of lateraland transverse movement for alignment. l I

Now considering the crane 10 in greater detail, the base 12 is afabricatedwelded construction of either solid or tubular steel suitableto support heavy loads. The base 12 has side members 36 and 37 and anend 38 connected therebetween with a pairof angled members 39 and 40coming together at the tow bar 14. A pair of upright members 41 and 42extend from the side members 36 and 37, respectively, and provide anelevated support for the pivots 17. A pair of stays 43 and 44 extendbetween the uprightmembers 41 and 42 and the side members 36 and 37 foradded support. The tow bar 14 preferably is movable in telescopingfashion into and out of a hollow beam member 46-which is part of thesupport base 12 and together with a cross member 47 forms a very' rigidsupport base for heavy loads. To provide means for extending the tow bar14 a desired length from the end of the base 12, a hydraulic cylinder 48may be mounted on the hollowmember 46 and has the extensible piston 48athereof connected to a boss or other suitable means on the tow bar 14.The telescoping feature of the tow bar permits the operator to move thecrane and suspended module toward and away from the bulldozer forpositioning on the foundation without moving the bulldozer.

The fabricated post member 16 is also of welded construction of suitabletubular or solid steel members and pivotally secured to the uprightmembers 41 and 42 at the pivots 17. To move the post member 16 to avertical or extended position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, from aprevious horizontal position, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair ofhydraulic cylinders 50 and 51 have the fixed cylinder end thereofsecured to the cross member 47 and the movable piston ends thereofpivotally secured to suitable bosses on the post member 16. Thehydraulic cylinders 50 and 51 as well as other hydraulic cylindersillustrated herein, may be manually operated or operated by automatichydraulic means (not shown) provided by the bulldozer 26.

The post member 16 includes a pair of parallel side members 52 and 53spaced apart by cross members 54 and 56. A pair of angled members 57 and58 diverge from the parallel members 52 and 53, respectively, and arefastened to a second pair of parallel members 59 and 60, respectively.The parallel members 59 and 60 may be integral parts of the angledmembers 57 and 58 and bent to fashion the parts as seen in FIGS. 4 and8, or they may be separate components welded together at their adjoiningends. A plate 61 is secured to the parallel members 59 and 60 and to theupper ends of the angled members 57 and 58 and the plate 61 serves as astiffener. The plate 61 has a boss 61a formed or fastened thereon bysuitable welding techniques, and is arranged to receive the cylinder endof a hydraulic cylinder 62 while the piston end 62a is secured to thejib 18. Actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 62 will cause the jib 18 tomove from itsfolded down position, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, to thehorizontal weight supporting position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A stopplate 63 is fastened across the uppermost ends of the parallel members59 and 60 against which the jib 18 can rest when in its folded conditionas shown in FIGS.

7 and 8. I

A hold down boss 64 is secured to the cross member 56 of the postmember16 and is arranged to receive the jib 18 when the crane is in a foldedtransportable condition. This is best shown in FIG. 9, which illustratesthe jib 18 as being'formed of a hollow outer member 67 and a retractableinner solid member 68. In the folded down horizontal position, the solidmember 68 is retracted into the jib and has the inner end thereofextending completely through the hollow member 67 to engage with thehold down boss 64. To lock the crane in the folded position fortransport, a pin 69 is inserted through the hold down boss 64 andthrough the end of the solid member 68. However, when the crane iserected onthe site for moving the modular house section 23, the solidmember 68 is extended from the ho]- low member 67 in the oppositedirection and serves as a mechanical amplifier when connected to thewinch 27 by the cable 28. To extend the solid member 68 from the hollowmember 67 a gear 70, as best seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, engages a rack 7lwhich is formed on the solid member 68. The gear 70 is preferably drivenby a hydraulic motor 72 but could also be driven electrically or by somemechanical means. Depending on the size and weight of the modular housesection 23 being moved into position, the length of the jib 18 isadjusted by extending the solid member 68 in the direction of thetractor 26.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 10, the truss 21 is illustratedas having an eye 76 located substantially in the center of a mainsupport beam 77 to receive a hook from the hoist 20. The truss 21 isdesigned to be collapsible for ready transport from site to site. Tothis end, a pair of end arms 78 are secured to the beam pair by hinges78a and swing inwardly to fold against the sides of the beam 77.Similarly, central arms 80 are secured to the beam 77 by hinges 80a. Asecond set of intermediate or central arms 81 are hinged by hinges 81aand also fold against the beam 77 in the same direction as the arms 78and 80. However, the other end of the beam 77 is provided with arms 82secured by hinges 82a which in turn, are secured to short end plate 83extending slightly transverse of the beam 77 This allows the end arms 82to fold back over the arms 81 in the direction opposite the other armsto that the complete carriage is folded to a small package.

FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate the detailed construction of the lateralsupport pads 30 and 30a. The description is directed to support pad 30but applies equally to pad 30a. The lateral support pad 30 is secured tothe side wall 23a of the modular house section 23 by means of spike orscrews passing through the four corner located holes 86. The pad 30 hasbent over edge portions 850 and 85b, as best seen in FIG. 2, to allow aspace to exist between the pad 30 and the side wall 23a. This spaceallows free transverse movement of piston end 88 which passes through anarcuate slot 87. The piston end 88 is part of the movable piston of ahydraulic cylinder 89 which has the main body thereof secured to thebase 12. This allows transverse and lateral movement of the modularhouse section 23 relative to the foundation while suspended from theboom and facilitates aligning the house with the same. Once the house isin position, the lateral support pads are easily removed from the housesection.

What has been described therefore is a simple and efficient portablecrane which is collapsible to a small stream-line size and readilytransported over public highways at high speeds by truck or the like,and which portable crane is readily erected on the site to lift heavyloads with the aid of a tractor or bulldozer which is already a piece ofequipment at the site.

lclaim:

1. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a load with respect to areference point including in combination, a base having wheels securedthereto for transporting the crane from site to site, a jib having firstand second ends, said jib having a first position wherein the same issupported on said base for transportation, means mechanicallycooperating with said base for raising said jib to a second position andsupporting the same therein intermediate said first and second endsthereof, means connected to said first end of said jib for hoisting itsload, and means including a self-powered vehicle connected to said baseand being connected to said second end thereby providing a counterbalance for the crane with the jib lifting the load, said vehicle beingoperated to move the crane and the load attached thereto for positioningthe same relative to the reference point.

2. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a modular house section,comprising in combination, a base having wheels secured thereto fortransporting the portable crane from site to site, said base having atow bar extending therefrom for connection to a motor vehicle, a postmember pivotally secured intermediate its free ends to said base forpivotal movement to a folded down horizontal position during transportof the crane and for pivotal movement to an extended vertical positionfor supporting a modular house section, a jib pivotally secured to saidpost member at a first end thereof which is to be the uppermost end ofsaid post member when in a vertical position, said jib folding againstsaid post member when in a horizontal position during transport of thecrane, hoist means secured to one end of said jib which extends in adirection opposite said tow bar, and self-powered counter balance meansconnected to the other end of said jib and to said tow bar, said counterbalance means permitting said hoist means to lift the modular housesection and also moves the crane for positioning the same on a founda-The portable crane of claim 2 further including support padsextendingfrom the lower end of said post member and securable to the modularhouse section being positioned, said support pads each having an arcuateslot through which extended the piston ends of a hydraulic cylindersconnected to said lower end of said post member.

4. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollowmember and a solid member extending therethrough and expansible fromsaid hollow member to increase the length of said jib for mechanicaladvantage, and said tow bar extends in the direction of said jib and isexpansible to substantially the same extent as said jib.

5. The portable crane of claim 4 wherein said jib includes a drive motorhaving a gear, and said solid member has a rack formed thereonengageable with said gear for moving said solid member inward andoutward of said hollow member under the influence of said motor, andsaid tow bar is expansible by means of a hydraulic cylinder having acylinder body portion secured to said base and a movable piston securedto said tow bar for movement therewith.

6. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollowtubular member and a solid member extendible therethrough, and when saidcrane is in the folded down horizontal position said solid memberextends through said hollow member in the direction of said post memberand engages a holed down boss formed on said post member to lock theportable crane in a horizontal position for transport.

1. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a load with respect to areference point including in combination, a base having wheels securedthereto for transporting the crane from site to site, a jib having firstand second ends, said jib having a first position wherein the same issupported on said base for transportation, means mechanicallycooperating with said base for raising said jib to a second position andsupporting the same therein intermediate said first and second endsthereof, means connected to said first end of said jib for hoisting itsload, and means including a selF-powered vehicle connected to said baseand being connected to said second end thereby providing a counterbalance for the crane with the jib lifting the load, said vehicle beingoperated to move the crane and the load attached thereto for positioningthe same relative to the reference point.
 2. A portable crane forlifting and positioning a modular house section, comprising incombination, a base having wheels secured thereto for transporting theportable crane from site to site, said base having a tow bar extendingtherefrom for connection to a motor vehicle, a post member pivotallysecured intermediate its free ends to said base for pivotal movement toa folded down horizontal position during transport of the crane and forpivotal movement to an extended vertical position for supporting amodular house section, a jib pivotally secured to said post member at afirst end thereof which is to be the uppermost end of said post memberwhen in a vertical position, said jib folding against said post memberwhen in a horizontal position during transport of the crane, hoist meanssecured to one end of said jib which extends in a direction oppositesaid tow bar, and self-powered counter balance means connected to theother end of said jib and to said tow bar, said counter balance meanspermitting said hoist means to lift the modular house section and alsomoves the crane for positioning the same on a foundation.
 3. Theportable crane of claim 2 further including support pads extending fromthe lower end of said post member and securable to the modular housesection being positioned, said support pads each having an arcuate slotthrough which extended the piston ends of a hydraulic cylindersconnected to said lower end of said post member.
 4. The portable craneof claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollow member and a solidmember extending therethrough and expansible from said hollow member toincrease the length of said jib for mechanical advantage, and said towbar extends in the direction of said jib and is expansible tosubstantially the same extent as said jib.
 5. The portable crane ofclaim 4 wherein said jib includes a drive motor having a gear, and saidsolid member has a rack formed thereon engageable with said gear formoving said solid member inward and outward of said hollow member underthe influence of said motor, and said tow bar is expansible by means ofa hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder body portion secured to said baseand a movable piston secured to said tow bar for movement therewith. 6.The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollowtubular member and a solid member extendible therethrough, and when saidcrane is in the folded down horizontal position said solid memberextends through said hollow member in the direction of said post memberand engages a holed down boss formed on said post member to lock theportable crane in a horizontal position for transport.